Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken
by Dragonchad4
Summary: A year after becoming queen and her pack moving to Vermont, Vivian encounters a new Loupgarou who she feels she can trust as a friend. But what is it that he's hiding, and is he really Loupgarou or something else entirely?
1. Chapter 1

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

It was around midnight in the mountains of Vermont and the half moon shone brightly in the sky. The mountains here were vast, stretching on for miles and miles, some places as flat as a plain, and others as

steep as a cliff. These variants in terrain failed to slow mother nature, for almost every square inch of the forest, regardless of variables, was littered with trees. Though beautiful and obviously useful to the

people in the small town of Sharon, the town at the base of the mountain, many feared to traverse into its densely packed foliage. Day and night were nearly indistinguishable in this forest. The trees were

so closely grown that, in many areas, the sun was completely obscured by their branches, resulting in vast expanses of pure darkness under these great guardians. Due to these features, most of the citizens of

Sharon chose to stay as far away from the mountain and the forest as possible, which was a blessing to Vivian.

Vivian ran as fast as she could through the forest, feeling the cold wind on her fur and the night air on her face. She ran fast and true, heading for the top of the mountain. She wished to find an opening in the

dense branches so she could see the moon. She knew that it was only half full; she had seen it before she had left for her run, but she wanted to see it in it's true glory, hung in the sky among the stars, and free

form the mechanical lighting of mankind. Her wish was finally granted as she came to a small clearing. By what she could see, she was approximately halfway up the mountain. However, none of that mattered

now, for above her, hovering in the sky as if waiting for her to arrive, was the half moon; surrounded by a sea of stars just as she had imagined it. Without hesitation, she reared her head back and gave a

deep, soul-filled howl to the goddess of the moon. Immediately, Vivian began to feel better. Running through the forest had always been a way for her to alleviate some of her stress. Unfortunately, this time it

wasn't enough.

"_This is fucking ridiculous! What the hell is Gabriel thinking, for moon sake?!" _Vivian thought over as she paced around the small patch of open space. Vivian and her pack had moved to the small town

of Sharon about a year ago, after the "incident" with Aiden. There had originally been no major dilemmas; the pack had purchased an inn from an older couple, where most of the pack lived as well as

worked, and those who didn't wish to restart the family business quickly found jobs and residential areas within close proximity, in case something were to go wrong again. What the pack had failed to realize

was that they weren't the only ones moving into this area; due to a large number of job opportunities created by a corporate expansion over at a lumber mill in the next town, large quantities of people from

along the east coast had begun to move into the surrounding areas. The town of Sharon was one of htose surrounding areas. Within the first six months of their move, the population had nearly doubled, from

about 2,500 people to about 5,000 people. In the second month, the population increased by another 7,000, for a grand total of approximately 12,000 people. To make matters worse, according to a census

taken along the east coast, approximately 50,000 more people were coming. There was no end to the migration in sight.

At the realization of this, the pack had begun to fall into disarray. Many believed that the pack should move elsewhere due to a fear of exposure. Others, however, believed that this "migration" as many of the

pack referred to it, would eventually cease, and life would return to normal. This continued until Gabriel voiced his opinion in favor of leaving Vermont. It was this belief that had frustrated Vivian the most.

"_He has to be kidding, right? I mean, we've only been here a year, and we came from a city with nearly five times the population of this place! At least this place would be a bit more exciting _

_with more humans around!_" Vivian thought as she left the solitude of the clearing as she continued her trek to the peak of the mountain. She had been against the idea of moving the pack since the moment it

had been proposed. The pack had flourished in the short time they had been there, their overall size increasing by about a third. Under the circumstances, the town of Sharon was the best place for them,

despite it being slightly boring. Vivian had never really noticed how much she had actually enjoyed urban life. She was actually looking forward to having a larger population in the town. More people meant a

wilder night life, not to mention the possibility that some of the "immigrants" might be loup garou as well. "_If you ask me,_" she said in her mind, still brooding over the situation, "_we should stay here until we _

_know more about…_" her thoughts were quickly disturbed as she noticed a strange scent in the air; it was thick and dense and it burnt her nose as she took it in, trying to identify what its source would be.

"_What the hell is this? It reminds me of…_" No sooner had the question entered her mind that the answer, and all of its painful memories, came to her. A shock of fear overtook her as she ran, full force

toward the source. The scent was getting stronger, and there was no mistaking it now. She knew this aroma from two years ago in Virginia, during that horrible night. It was a scent she would never forget, the

smell of ash and charcoal, the smell of fire.

"_What could have happened? Did one of the townsfolk find out about us? I hope everyone is alright._" All of these ideas raced through Vivian's mind, repeating over and over again, like a broken

record. She had been consumed by these thoughts that she had not realized that there was no spreading wildfire, no black smoke rising up towards the heavens, and, most importantly, that she was running

uphill, towards the mountain's summit. After what had felt like hours, which in reality had only been minutes, Vivian stopped running, sliding to a dead stop. However, it wasn't due to lack of a roaring wildfire,

slowly engulfing the forest around her, or the fact that she had reached the top of the mountain range and was now overlooking the horizon, fifty feet from a steep two-hundred foot drop off of a cliff. What had

halted her advance was that, standing at the edge of the cliff, bathed in the moon's radiant glow, was a young man.

Vivian found herself frozen in the young man's presence. It was not love that held her there; she could not even see his face. It was simply something about is being, it was mesmerizing. The air around her was

saturated with the aroma of ash and charcoal, and stronger than it had ever been. Vivian attempted to locate the source and was in shock when she realized that this young man was the origin of the scent; his

entire body was draped in it. Vivian decided to use the moment to try and pinpoint some of the man's physical characteristics. From what she could determine under the moon's pale glow, he was young, no

older than twenty. She noticed that he also had short hair, and was wearing a black cloak- like jacket. The rest of his features were, unfortunately, either hidden, due to his coat, or were indistinguishable, lost

in the blackness of the night.

The young man was staring out at the horizon, or more accurately, at the moon. He stood in it's presence for the longest time before raising his arms from his sides, holding them out horizontally. "Why?" he

said in a soft and shaken voice. Though gentle, Vivian found herself shaken by his simple one-word question. He waited for a moment, as if expecting a response, before he spoke again. The entire time he

spoke, he never moved. "Why have you forsaken us? Why do you continue to punish us for our ancestor's mistakes? Have we not suffered enough?" This time his voice was loud and powerful. He bowed his

head as as if speaking to an elder or a king. When the moon failed to answer his question, the young man took a few steps backwards and began to chuckle. "I see…" he said raising his head to the stars, "I

now clearly see my destiny, and why I was cursed, forsaken…" he suddenly stopped. Vivian had assumed that this was another part of his ritual, until he ran forward and threw himself off of the cliff in front of

him. Once gone, Vivian found herself able to move again. Instinctively, she ran over to the ledge, hoping that the man was still alive. What she saw shocked her.

Though she was hoping the young man was still alive, Vivian knew the chances of survival were slim. She had expected to see a carcass at the bottom of the cliff, sprawled in a strange pose due to the impact

and broken bones. She had expected to see a river of blood from where the sharp rocks below would have impaled him, like a lamb on a roasting spit. She had even expected to see dismembered limbs

strewn about due to the force of the impact with the side of the cliff wall on his way down to the rocky floor currently beneath her. What she saw was nothing. There was nothing below her, no blood, no

appendages, and, strangest of all, no carcass. She quickly scanned the area and found a trail which led to the floor below. The path was steep, too steep for her wolf form to traverse, so she was forced to

revert back to her human form. As she climbed down the path, the wind started to pick up. Vivian allowed the cool night breeze to blow over her body; she was naked, due to her transformation, but she

didn't care. "Ah, that breeze feels so good" she said aloud, allowing herself to become lost in the moment. "You just can't... hey, I can breath again." She took a few deep breaths and sniffed the air around

her. As she had mentioned, the scent of ash and charcoal had completely vanished, which made Vivian slightly uneasy. "Okay, that's just weird. Under normal circumstances, there should be some kind of

residual aroma in the surrounding area, but there's…nothing." Vivian thought about it a little longer, but than remembered what it was she was doing. She continued to follow the path down to the bottom of

the drop-off and quickly scannedthe area for any sign that the man had lived. Unfortunately, even with only the light of the moon illuminating her path, it was clear that the area had not been disturbed for at

least a decade. "Alright, this doesn't make any sense at all. What the hell is going on here?" Vivian yelled at the top of her lungs. She took a deep sigh and decided to head home. She ran as fast as she

possibly could, hoping no other strange occurrences would happen that night. "_Wait until I tell Gabriel about this!_" Vivian thought as she left the woods behind her and sprinted as fast as she could towards

the inn.


	2. Chapter 2

I should have mentioned this in the first chapter; I don't own Blood and Chocolate. I do, however, own a few of my own characters who will be appearing very soon.

Anyway, without further adieu, I present:

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 2: Encounter**

The alarm blazed in Vivian's ear, causing her to jump out of her bed. She rubbed her eyes, fighting with all of her might to stay awake. It was a losing battle. It had been a week since her encounter with the

man on the cliff, and ever since, his image had plagued her mind. Regardless of what she attempted to occupy herself with, her thoughts kept drifting back to that night, and the things he had said.

"Are you alright, baby?" said a voice to her left. Vivian turned over to see Gabriel, staring at her with his hard, yet caring, eyes. Vivian had told him of that night and how it was disrupting her daily life. Gabriel

had thought it strange that she put so much focus into it, but was determined to help her in any way possible.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I just didn't sleep well." Vivian replied, moving closer and kissing him on the lips. "You were thinking of him again, weren't you; the man on the cliff." he said in a loving, yet concerned voice.

"Something just isn't right." She said in little more than a whisper, "He just vanished; how is that possible?" Vivian sighed and, finally dragging herself out of bed, began her preparations for school.

The high school of Sharon was very similar to the town itself, small but constantly growing. There were approximately two thousand students who attended, and yet, only about three hundred were seniors.

Vivian was one of them and, due to some unspoken law forbidding interaction between students who differed in years, just as lonely as ever. She had learned to greatly enjoy the company of humans during

her brief time as part of Aiden's group, the amoeba, and had hoped that, in moving to a new area, she would able to develop her own covenent of friends. Unfortunately for her, due to this ridiculous school

code, and with every other senior more concerned about whom they were dating or how they looked to the boys rather than just being themselves, Vivian, once again, found herself unaccepted by the rest of

society.

She spent most of her time following the Four, what the remnants of the Five were calling themselves now. It wasn't that she enjoyed their company; in fact, she was completely repulsed by the majority of

their behavior, but she felt that if she failed to keep them in line, than no one would.

As she watched from behind a corner, Vivian watched the four tormenting a young boy, only about fourteen or fifteen. After about five minutes, the boy ran off around the corner where Vivian was hiding.

Vivian noticed tears in his eyes. "Your guys are clearly insecure," she said as she stepped out of her hiding space and began to walk towards them. They all began to bow to her sarcastically. "All hail the

queen bitch!" Gregory yelled as loud as he could, before Willem could shut him up. "Watch it, dumbass!" Willem said in a hard tone to emphasize his anger, "Do you want to announce to the world what we

are!" "Oh, come on Willem," Gregory retorted, somewhat angered by his "dumbass" comment, "like anyone would think that we meant it literally. At the worst, they would think that she was our sister or

something." Willem and Gregory spent the next minute glaring at each other. The two of them had been in a struggle for leadership of their click ever since Rafe died. "Oh, for moon's sake," Vivian yelled at

the top of her lungs, not noticing, or caring, that about one hundred students of all ages were now staring at her, "you're all so fucking immature! Why don't you do something more…" her speech was cut off

when she detected a powerful scent, both strange and familiar.

She immediately swung her head left and right, searching for its source. She knew exactly what, or should I say who, she was looking for; that smell and its owner had haunted her thoughts for the last week.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, just as it had done before, it vanished. The loss of the scent, however, didn't stop Vivian from scanning each and every spectator who had appeared. "Vivian… a…are

you alright?" Ulf finally stuttered as he waved the air in front of his face with his hand. "Yeah, she'll be fine," Gregory replied, using his right hand to cover his nose, "but what was that stench?" "Honestly,"

Finn finally said after inhaling a few breaths of fresh air, "it smelled as though the school band had eaten a metric fuck-ton of beans and then crapped in our faces!" Upon making these remarks, Vivian turned

her head towards the still-distorted four. "Wait a minute," she exclaimed, "you could smell it too?!" "Of course we could" they all replied in synchronization. "Who couldn't smell that?" asked Finn in a joking

tone of voice.

It was at this time that the school bell decided to ring, signaling the beginning of the next class. "Oh, shit!" Vivian exclaimed, before quickly running off to class. "Well boys, what do you think?" Gregory said to

the rest of his group, "should we go to our classes, or should we stay here and drink beer until we pass out? Those in favor of going to class, raise your hand." None of them moved. "All those in favor of

drinking," they all quickly responded at the mention of this. As if on cue, Gregory reached into his backpack and procured a twelve ounce can of beer. He then proceeded to open it and raise it high into the

air. The rest of the group did the same. In unison they laughed, "The Four have spoken!"

The town of Sharon was incredibly dull during the afternoon. This was usually due to the fact that all of the clubs and bars didn't open until nine. To make matters worse, due to their ridiculously low budget,

the school had almost no after school activities. Most of the town didn't mind this form of life, but for the youth, this was hell on earth. Despite these setbacks, the Four still managed to invent means to keep

themselves entertained. One of their favorites was to choose a secluded area, and then ambush people as they walked by, stealing what they could and scaring the shit out of them in the process.

This was the game that they had decided to play. They were standing on a corner of the downtown area. At night the streets would have been moderately busy, but at this time of day, it was a ghost town.

Vivian stood about a hundred feet away, making sure they didn't do anything too stupid. She had noticed that they had frightened at least eight people away, three old men, two teenage girls, about

fourteenyears in age, and three young boys, each about ten. They may have scarred off more, but Vivian didn't know or care, she was still reflecting on what had happened at school. "_What does it mean? _

_Was he there? Does that mean that he is a student at my school, and if he is, why haven't I noticed him or his scent before now?_" Vivian pondered these questions for a long period of time, until she

heard a commotion from down the street.

Vivian turned her gaze and noticed that the four had formed somewhat of a square around a young man. He appeared to be about 18, and had short, dirty blond hair. He was somewhat muscular; not nearly

as muscular as Gabriel, but just enough to give him a strong, somewhat dangerous appearance. From her distance she judged him to be about five feet ten inches tall, and was just able to make out his clear

blue eyes. He was dressed in very casual clothing, jean shorts and a blue T-shirt with a large red dragon on it. The only thing that seemed out of place was the sword, a large Scottish claymore, hanging on his

back. It was probably this anomaly that caused the Four to choose him as their next target.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" Finn said, walking closer to the young man so that their faces were mere centimeters apart. "Looks we have a knight in our presence." Gregory responded from the

young man's left. He answered Finn's question, but had addressed his comment towards their target. "Oh no, please don't hurt me!" Willem taunted in a sarcastic tone, which then turned into a fit of laughter.

The rest of the Four soon followed suit. Throughout all of this, the young man merely stood there, his eyes staring off into space. "Why… don't we…see just how good…he is?" Ulf finally managed to say

through his bursts of laughter. Slowly, the four began to regain their composure.

Finn was the first to do so. "That's a great idea." He said as he began to punch his left palm with his right fist. He had taken a few steps backward due to his laughing spasm, and was now, once again,

approaching him. Finally, the young man spoke. "Under the given circumstances, I humbly request that you stand aside." His voice was completely impartial, "should you refuse, I will have no choice but to

accept your challenge and engage you in physical combat." This caused the Four to chuckle, but did not halt their advance. "Oh, really," Finn joked, raising his hands into the air and pretending to back off.

"Well, if that's the case…" he didn't even finish his sentence before extending his right arm and grabbing hold of the young man's shirt, the other three snickering behind him.

Behind the corner, Vivian watched as the member of her pack grabbed the young man's shirt. "Well, he's brave, that's for sure," she commented to herself, "or maybe it's just his ignorance as to what he's

truly dealing with. Either way, I somewhat feel sorry for him." Vivian turned her head away, once again to contemplate the events of a week ago. However, she was quickly brought back to present by a

frightening noise, a noise she had never heard before. She quickly threw her head up to see what had happened. What she saw shocked her. She had missed the exchange between the teenage boy and the

four but she clearly saw what had made that frightening sound. It was the sound of Finn, screaming out in pain.

* * *

I hope everyone is enjoying this story. Things will begin to pick up in the next chapter. If you like this story, hate it, let me know. Reviews welcome!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

As always, I do not Own Blood and Chocolate. I wish I did, but beggars can't be choosers.sigh

Anyway, on with the show..

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 3: Combat**

Pain raced through Finn's arm, and he could hardly stand it. His mind was still attempting to process what had just occurred. He remembered grabbing the young man's shirt, but what had happened next was little more than a blur. From what he could gather, his foe had grabbed his right arm, the one which he had used to grab the man's shirt, and had somehow gotten behind him, twisting his arm and placing him in a very uncomfortable position. Finn's upper body was now bent forward; the man's right arm was on Finn's right shoulder, pushing him downward, while the man's left arm had his right arm twisted behind his back. The rest of the Four merely watched in awe at what this guy had done in nearly the blink of an eye. "Once again, I will ask," the man said, his voice still impartial, "please stand aside and permit me passage. As of now, I would prefer not to have to engage you."

This time, Finn didn't even bother making a comeback. Instead, he simply brought his left elbow back as far as he could in hopes of striking his assailant in his stomach. Finn's elbow failed to make contact, but did force the young man to step back, releasing his arm and shoulder. Finn then spun around and charged at him. He pulled his right fist as far back as he could before thrusting it as hard and as quickly as possible toward the man's face. The young man, however, was faster; he moved slightly to his right and deflected Finn's blow with his left arm. Finn then threw his left fist at the man, knowing there was no way to dodge that one. There was no need, though, to Finn's shock and dismay, when the man caught his fist with his open right hand. The man then clamped his right hand down on Finn's fist and his left hand around Finn's forearm. Once he had a firm hold, the young man pulled Fin towards him, throwing the wolf-boy off balance whilst simultaneously bringing his left knee up to meet with his gut. Contact was perfect, knocking the wind out of Finn and launching him a good five feet away, where he landed on the sidewalk, gasping for air.

The three remaining Loup-garou could do little more than stare at the scene, their eyes shifting back and forth between their companion lying on the pavement, and the boy who had sent him there. "You bastard!" Willem yelled, finally finding his voice, as he charge in at the man who had just beaten the crap out of his friend. He threw punch after punch at his foe but no matter how many times he tried, no matter how many different strategies he used, he couldn't lay a finger on him. The worst part was that the young man wasn't even trying to fight back, which enraged Willem even more. "Come on, fight me!" he screamed, still intent on avenging his fallen comrade. Finally, due to misplacement in his footing, the young man fell off balance. Willem took the opportunity to strike down his enemy once and for all. He lunged at him pulling his fist back, but at the last minute, the young man ducked and rotated his body, dodging the punch whilst simultaneously positioning himself behind Willem.

"Damn it!" Willem screamed as he missed his intended target, "_He fell off balance on purpose. He set me up!_" Willem was too busy contemplating his own stupidity for falling into such an easy trap that he didn't even realize that, unconsciously, his eyes, and his head, were still following the movements of his opponent. The realization did dawn on him, however, when the young man's fist crashed into his jaw, sending him staggering a few feet back. His back hit something hard, and caused him to bounce off and stumble forward; he quickly discovered this to be a brick wall, the side of a building. Just as quickly, Willem felt another burst of pain, his senses were so construed due to the blow to the head that it took everything for him to realize what was going on. He was finally able to gather his senses together long enough to notice that his opponent had collided his fist directly into his gut, knocking the air out of him, just like his partner before him. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but he noticed that his foe, and more importantly the fist which he was on the end of, still had momentum, which didn't stop until his back struck the brick wall again, causing a shock to occur throughout his entire body. The force, once again, knocked what little wind had accumulated in the past seconds clear out of his lungs. Willem gasped for air, but, due to the pressure being applied from both sides of his body, he was unable to obtain any, and quickly passed out. The young man threw his body to the side as though it were a rag doll and turned to his remaining two adversaries.

Gregory took a step forward, holding his hands behind his back. "You have some nerve to assault my comrades in that manner. You'll pay for that, you'll pay dearly!" he snarled, keeping his hands behind his back so as not to reveal that he had extended his claws. Gregory lunged at his enemy and smirked; the other two had been in their human forms when they fought him so it was clear that they had not been fighting at their full strength, but unlike them, he wasn't going to hold back, "Now you'll see what you're really dealing with!" As he said this, he swung his right claw with inhuman speed and precision, aiming directly for the young man's neck. Gregory let a smirk stretch across his face as he watched his plan for victory unfold. However, that smirk quickly faded as his claw was suddenly halted, only about three centimeters from its intended target. Gregory gazed at the force that had frozen his claw, that had challenged his victory, and could only gasp.

Vivian was speechless as well; she had seen the entire display. At the last second, the young man had thrown his left arm up and caught the wrist of Gregory's clawed hand, a move that was well beyond human abilities. Yet this wasn't what had surprised both her and the members of her pack. What had surprised them was that the man's hand had also shifted into a claw, one as sharp and as deadly in every way.

Gregory was flabbergasted at what had just occurred, his one hit victory had been halted in its tracks, and now, he found his clawed hand caught in that of another. "You're…just like…how?" he finally mumbled incoherently after a couple of minutes of silence, unable to locate the words to describe his shock.

This mattered not, for the young man was paying no attention to his stuttering opponent. Instead, he was fixated solely on his own shape-shifted claw, which held his opponent's wrist. There was a look of fear in his eyes, not for the fact that his foe had grown claws, but that he had grown his own in retaliation. It was clear that he had not meant to change, in any way, during this fight.

Gregory finally broke the silence surrounding them by bringing his left hand around to strike his adversary, extending the claws in mid-strike. This caused the young man to duck and step backwards, releasing his grip on Gregory's right wrist. Gregory then charged in at him, claws slashing in a fury of movement. Yet, despite his new weapons and increased speed, he was still unable to lay hand nor talon on his opponent. "Damn it, hold still!" He yelled as he lunged at the young man, performing a horizontal slash with his right claw in yet another attempt to decapitate him. The young man ducked low, causing Gregory to miss and leaving his body open to an attack. The young man seized the opportunity and, from his given position, began to perform an uppercut with his left fist. However, about halfway up, he opened his hand, revealing his still elongated claws. He jabbed them into Gregory's stomach and continued his ascension all the way up to his chin, resulting in four large vertical slash marks along his body. The force behind the young man's arm threw Gregory off the ground, suspending his body about three feet in the air. This quickly ended, however, when the young man brought his right, unchanged fist around and smashed it into Greg's already injured stomach, throwing him to the ground and knocking him into unconsciousness, along with his two other companions.

Ulf was shaking as the young man erected himself and turned his head toward him. He contemplated his options: he could run away, which, if he could outrun him, would save him a beating from this enigmatic adversary, but would probably result in a sound thrashing from the rest of the Four once they awoke, he could try to reason with him, but, after everything they had put the young man through, it was highly unlikely that he would listen, or he could attack him, and hope for the best. His options were quickly eliminated when the young man raised his left arm, the claws on his hand retracting, and placed it behind his back. Slowly, he drew his claymore from its sheath and pointed it directly at Ulf's head. Out of nothing but blind fear, Ulf charged in, screaming at the top of his lungs, extending the claws on both of his hands, and attacking wildly in desperate hope of connecting with the young man's flesh.

His hopes, unfortunately were entirely in vain, for Ulf had no better luck landing a blow on the young man than his friends. After about a minute of dodging slash after slash, the young man pulled his sword across his body and performed a swift, yet accurate, horizontal slash. Ulf barely managed to avoid this fatal strike, escaping with only a small scratch across his chest. The young man, however, was not finished with his attack as he flipped the sword around in his hand and charged in at his still recovering foe. Ulf was so disoriented from dodging the first attack that he failed to realize that his enemy was quickly closing the gap between them, that is, until the pommel of the man's sword made contact with his jaw, throwing him even more off balance. The young man ended the fight with a hard, roundhouse -like, kick with his right leg directly into the left side of Ulf's gut, thus knocking him head-first into the side of a building and sending him, like his friends before him, into a state of unconsciousness. Upon the climax of this clash, the young man reshethed his blade and walked over to the four sprawled bodies he had so easily incapacitated. Staring upon them for a moment, he slammed his two fists together, holding his forearms parallel to the ground, and closed his eyes in reverence.

Vivian was staring at the young man standing over the four members of her pack in, what appeared to be, some sort of a prayer. "Something's not right here." She whispered to herself as she watched the spectacle, still amazed at what she had seen. The four may have been immature and juvenile, but, none the less, they were no pushovers. "There's no way someone his age could defeat four Loup-garoux that easily, even if he's Loup-garou himself." After saying this to herself, she stepped out of her hiding place, still trying to remain fairly concealed, and began to approach the man who had, as far as she was concerned, performed the impossible.

All traces of doubt that he was not human vanished when, while she was still about ninety feet away, he suddenly came out of his trance and stared directly at her. She noticed a look of fear in his eyes as she continued to approach; apparently, he had assumed that this place was deserted. He continued to stare at her for a moment more before clearly noticing the "oh, shit!" comment he made before taking off in the opposite direction. _"Oh no, you're not getting away from me that easily!" _she thought as she sprinted after him down the streets of Sharon.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed the fight scene; it was hell trying to get coordinate this fight. For those looking forward to the next chapter, I hope everyone likes chase scenes, and we'll finally reveal a little more about our mysterious young man. Until then, Adieu. Reviews are always welcome!!! 


	4. Chapter 4

As always, I do not own Blood and Chocolate. I do, however, own a few characters that will be making appearances throughout this story. Anyone caught using my characters without my permission will be  
chopped into little pieces and fed to my pet dragon Ryuujin.

That being said, Enjoy...

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

Vivian was breathing heavily as she gained on her prey, the young teenager who had just incapacitated four of her fellow pack members. She had been chasing him all over town for approximately half an hour,

and was finally able to gain some ground on him. "_Apparently, he isn't accustomed to running for long periods of time, how strange. Who exactly is this guy?_" She thought as she closed in on him; she,

too, was quickly becoming exhausted, but was far more accustomed to running long distance. None the less, she was determined to bring this game of cat and mouse to an end. When she was finally close

enough, she lunged toward her target in a somewhat desperate attempt to catch him.

Her attempt failed miserably as the young man, at the last minute, ceased his retreat and dove into a nearby alleyway. He quickly rose to his feet before continuing his retreat from his pursuer. Vivian, who had

literally thrown herself at him, missed her target and was forced into a barrel role to absorb the shock of the impact. It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts together and pull herself to her feet. She

walked over to the entrance of the alley her prey had escaped into and broke into a fit of laughter. Her quarry had disappeared, but that was rather inconsequential.

Vivian knew these alleyways like the back of her paw. The positions of the buildings and apartments created a fierce labyrinth full of twist, turns, and false exits. To make matters worse, there were only five

passages in and out of the alleys, and, considering all of the possible paths to follow, his chances of escape were slim. Only someone incredibly lucky or extremely knowledgeable with the area would be able

to navigate through the labyrinth without getting lost. Fortunately, Vivian was both.

"_Well, He won't be getting out of there anytime soon,_" Vivian thought as she began to enter the alleyway, "_but just to be sure…_" She then turned her attention to a large dumpster against the wall.

Quickly, she jumped on top of it with one graceful leap, and then jumped to a nearby fire escape. Using it, she climbed to the top of one of the many three story buildings, staying as low as possible so as not

to attract attention. The rooftops offered her both an excellent vantage point as well as decent cover. Using this to her advantage, she resumed her search for the four's conqueror.

After about fifteen minutes, she managed to locate him. He was standing at a dead end, facing the open end of the alley, as if he were expecting her to appear. "_Oh, how foolish of you, you'll never expect _

_this." _She thought as she circled around to his flank via the rooftops. He didn't have his back to the wall and there was just enough space for her to jump down. As Vivian got into position, she elongated her

claws and, in one swift motion, she came down behind him. Quickly, before the young man could react, Vivian swung her right arm around his stomach, pinning his arms in the process, and placed her left

hand to his neck, her claws pressed firmly against his throat.

At the realization of this, the young man's body tensed; he clearly had not been expecting an attack from behind. He tried to bring his right arm up, but Vivian held it firmly in place. Upon his struggle, Vivian

spoke into his ear, softly yet firmly. "Don't move, I don't want to hurt you. I have a few questions for you, though, and your not…" she was interrupted mid sentence by a strange spinning sensation. She

wasn't sure what had happened; whatever it was had occurred so quickly that her mind was having trouble comprehending it. When her thoughts returned to the present, the young man was upside down and

quickly moving away from her.

However, the blood rushing to her head quickly indicated to her that she was the one who was upside down, and flying through the air at a rather high speed. The young man's stance suggested that he had

managed to pull his right arm free and had thrown her over his shoulder. At this realization, she twisted her body and landed on all fours about seven feet back, using her still-extended claws to bring her to a

halt.

Once again, Vivian was shocked at the action of this strange young man. Though she wasn't very heavy, for someone at his age to be able to throw her as far as he had was truly an amazing feet. To top it off,

he didn't appear to have stressed himself in the least while performing. It was clear that, even for a Loup-garou, he was unnaturally strong. She looked up at him; he had taken a step back with his right foot

and now entered a fighting stance. Vivian lifted herself to her feet, which prompted the young man's left arm to shoot to his back. The man's action became clear as the claymore on his back began to slide out

of its sheath. "Wait," Vivian shouted out to him, holding out her hand and retracting her claws, "I just want to talk". The young man paused and merely stared at her, about three inches of his sword's blade

was visible. The two of them stood in silence, each one waiting for the other to speak.

Vivian was the one to break the silence "So, you're a Loup-garou as well?" Though his body position didn't change, an appearance of confusion swept across the young man's face. "I know not what you

speak of." he replied calmly in response. "Look," she said, slightly losing her patience, "I witnessed your fight with those four boys back there, I saw your hand, so let's stop playing dumb, alright." This

accusation brought a new look to the young man's face, a look of anger mixed with fear, and along with it something else, a brief whiff of an odor that had become the obsession of Vivian's mind as of late, the

smell of ash and charcoal. Vivian's eyes shot wide with a wide range of emotions "You! You were the one on the mountain that night, and the one that I whose scent I picked up at school today." She took a

moment to recompose herself and regain control of her emotions, having lost herself in the scent yet again. "Who the hell are you?" she asked the young man in a demanding tone. "Tis proper etiquette to give

one's own name before inquiring that of another." He responded, somewhat curtly, yet with an air of sophistication. It had been ages since anyone had responded to her in that fashion. Ever since she had

become queen bitch, everyone had been speaking to her as though she was above them. Even the Four, though arrogant and rebellious, still looked upon her as their leader rather than a friend or an age-mate.

She found it somewhat refreshing.

"Vivian, my name's Vivian Gandillon." She said smiling, her bitter feelings towards him dissipating. Satisfied with this answer, the young man re-sheathed his sword and stood in a more casual stance,

"Salutations to you, Vivian; I am Leon Rotheford, pleasure to make your acquaintance." As he spoke the last part of his greeting, Leon stepped back with his right leg and entered into a deeply extended bow.

Vivian merely laughed at this maneuver, which caused Leon to rise and stare at her, confusion covering his face. "What, if I may inquire, do you find so humorous?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the left.

Vivian quickly regained her composure, "nothing, nothing at all. We haven't seen any other Loup-garou around here in the past year. Does the rest of your pack live here as well?" Upon hearing the question,

the look of confusion on Leon's face was replaced with one of loneliness and sorrow, "I am not a member of a pack…I've been alone ever since my mother left me when I was five." "I'm sorry," Vivian said,

staring at him with a look of pity "I know what it's like to feel alone; I lost my father about two years ago." She looked over at Leon only to discover that he was staring back at her, his eyes emulating the

same emotion she had given him. "I, too, am sorry for your loss." He looked down at the ground before chuckling slightly. "Unless I'm mistaken, it's not very courteous to laugh at other people's misfortune!"

she said harshly; she took any insult to her father as a personal attack. Leon looked up at her, a smiling ever so slightly, "I apologize; I meant not to insult you. I merely find it somewhat humorous that the two

of us have dealt with the similar hardship of losing a parent." Realizing his intent, Vivian allowed her anger to, once again, recede. "If you don't mind my inquiring, is the remainder of your pack within this

vicinity?" He moved his hands outward in a movement to imply the entire town. Vivian wasn't sure about how to respond; she wasn't to speak about pack affairs to anyone outside the pack. However, this

rule usually applied only to humans, which, after his display against her and the four, Leon clearly was not. "_I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to tell him_." she thought, quickly going over the possible

repercussions, "You know the old inn near the edge of the forest that was currently purchased?" "I am aware of it," Leon replied. When Vivian did not speak again, he took the initiative, "I assume from your

silence that said inn is your current residence." "Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner!" Vivian replied, as though Leon had just one The Price is Right. At the mention of this, Vivian's eyes flew open. "I have a

great idea, my family is cooking a huge meal for my whole pack; you should come by." This caused Leon's eyes to open as well, though not due to gratitude. "I… would be honored," he said nervously,

speaking very quickly, "but I'm afraid that I must decline. I…have other matters I must attend to." Immediately after finishing his statement, he ran past Vivian and disappeared. "…what the crap!" she yelled,

realizing what how he had just blown her off. She quickly proceeded after him.

Upon reaching the exit to the alleyway labyrinth, she quickly surveyed the surrounding area. Leon was no were to be found. "Damn him. At first, we're getting along, and a split second later, he takes off like I

have the plague or something." She was about to go search for him when she realized how low the sun was. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was 8:00 at night. "Oh, shit!" she yelled, thankful that no

one was around; "Esme wanted me back an hour ago to help with the dinner preparations." She took off for home, thinking of what to tell her mother, and, more importantly, what to tell Gabriel of the new

wolf in their midst.

"So, how was your day baby?" Gabriel asked. The dinner had basically been a cover for another meeting to discuss what to do about the constant increase in population. Due to this, Vivian had yet to get an

opportunity to speak to Gabriel about the new wolf on the block. At the moment, however, her mind was flooded with thoughts of how to convince Gabriel to keep the pack here. "Do you really think that

moving the pack is the best idea?" Vivian asked, not bothering to answer Gabriel. "That's not an answer to my question, but yes I do." "Gabriel," she pleaded, "we lived in a city about five times this size,

remember." "Yes, we did," he replied, "and, as I recall, it resulted in two of or pack becoming psychotic and hunting humans, not to mention your little affair." Vivian thought of Aiden and what she had done

to him. She was about to protest when Gabriel began again, "Vivian, you know as well as I do of the dangers that living around humans can cause. You know what they're capable of, and the lengths which

they are willing to willing to go to for what they believe is right. That is why we can't stay here." Both were silent, until Vivian remembered the new friend she had made, and decided to kill two birds with one

stone. "Leon doesn't seem worried about the growing population." She stated firmly. Gabriel didn't reply, only began thinking of all of the members of the pack. Not one of them was named Leon. "Really,

and who is this Leon character?" He asked inquisitively. "A new friend that I made today." She responded, watching as the panic began to stretch across Gabriel's face. She waited a few minutes before

explaining, "don't worry, he's Loup-garou, just like us." Despite this new information, Gabriel still appeared to be concerned, "how do you know he was Loup-garou; did you see him change?" Vivian merely

smiled at the anxiety that had overcome her mate, "yes, Gabriel, I saw him change. The Four saw it too, though I'm fairly certain that Willem and Finn missed it." She laughed slightly as she thought of the Four

about how Leon had whooped their asses. She was surprised that that great fighter was the same kind soul that she had met in the alleyway. It also surprised her that he would simply take off in the way that

he did. Gabriel finally began to relax, but still pushed the issue. "I will verify this story with Gregory and Ulf." He said in a strong and commanding voice, "I would also like to meet with this young man

personally." Then, he marched out the door and went to speak with his adopted son and his friends about this "new wolf". Vivian waited for a minute before following "The four having to admit that they got

their asses kicked, this I've got to see."

* * *

Sorry for taking so long to update; I just got a new job and the hours have been slightly hectic. Fortunately things this week are slowing down, so I should have some time to continue this story. Final edits to chapter five are already underway and, if everything goes well, it should be posted sometime this week. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you like this story, send me a review. If you don't, then send me a review saying what you dislike. If you have any suggestions for the story, I'm open to those as well. Whatever the situation, just PLEASE review. 


	5. Chapter 5

As always, I own Leon and nothing else. More characters will eventually appear.

Until then, enjoy...

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 5: Hunting**

The forests that surrounded the town of Sharon were a beautiful sight to behold in the twilight hours of the day. The dying light of the sun changed the forest floor into an entirely new world. Animals were

scurrying across the forest floor or high in the trees, preparing for the oncoming night. It was as though the beasts of the forest feared shadow of the world that was the night, and were determined to fight it

with all of their strength. Yet today, something seemed out of place, for crouched behind a large bush on top of a small hill was a large white wolf.

"_Come on, where are you?_" Vivian thought as she kept herself as low as she possibly could. This was the time she had been waiting for. She scanned the area, searching for her intended target. She had

been there for approximately an hour, surveying and categorizing her potential prey. Unfortunately, nothing present would satisfy her thrill for the hunt; she was in a strange mood and desired something

strong and fast, a beast of prey that would pose at least somewhat of a challenge to her.

She finally got her wish as a large buck walked over to the base of the hill. It had, apparently, failed to notice her presence, and had decided to eat a few leaves from a nearby bush. Vivian carefully

positioned herself into her lunging position, preparing to strike. "_Careful, careful…_" she thought as the large beast drew slightly closer. The buck may have been unaware of her presence, but that did not

guarantee victory. It appeared young, only about five or six years old. It was relatively muscular, with large hooves and powerful back muscles. What made Vivian nervous, however, were its antlers, each

one possessing seven large points. If she had any chance of taking it down, she would have to be swift, accurate, and deadly.

No sooner had these thoughts crossed her mind that the buck's head snapped from its position and stared directly over to her location. Upon this action, Vivian froze, "_What happened? Did he see me? I _

_didn't even move…_" Vivian's train of thought was suddenly derailed by the sound of a stick snapping only a few feet behind her. Though relatively quiet, the sound did manage to successfully send her

quarry scampering for cover. Despite this, Vivian failed to move, not wanting her stalker to know she was aware of its presence. She kept her ears finely tuned for any sounds of advance, but none came.

For a moment, the forest was dead silent.

Vivian's attack was quicker than lightning as she spun around and lunged at her foe. The sudden eruption of sound sent birds that had been safety nestled in their trees soaring into the air and animals on the

ground to scamper through the forest in an effort to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Vivian had moved so quickly that her eyes failed to distinguish her target from the surrounding area, and, for a moment,

became skeptical that there had been anything behind her at all. This doubt quickly left her mind as her upper body collided head-first with that of another being. The force of the collision caused Vivian's

head to spin, which only stopped when she successfully tackled her target to the ground. Due to the mild concussion she had sustained from her hap-hazardous attack, she was unable to identify any physical

features on her attacker, other than that it was human, and it was male. "_Well, that sure makes things easier_" the wolf-girl thought as she raised her right paw, extending her claws to rip her pursuer to

shreds. It was then that the world around her, once again, began to spin. This lasted for no more than a few seconds when she was violently brought back to earth by the force of her back slamming into it.

Vivian attempted to flip over onto her feet, but was quickly pinned to the ground. Struggling to correct herself, she fought with her attacker, which only stopped when she felt the prick of something cold and

sharp press against her neck. Vivian didn't need to see it to know it was a blade of some kind. She slowly attempted to raise her head in hopes of catching a glimpse of her assailant's face, but whoever it

was merely grabbed the underside of her jaw and held it steady, thus preventing her from moving her head. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come, but for some unknown reason, her attacker had

yet to slit her throat. Vivian could only imagine why. Fortunately, this brief period of inaction allowed her to regain her thoughts and obtain her bearings of the current situation.

Both Vivian and her foe remained in their respectable positions for what seemed like an eternity, and it was driving Vivian insane. "I _can't stand this anymore!_" she thought to herself as she contemplated

an escape strategy. It was at this time that her assailant finally spoke, "it is rather foolhardy to charge at an opponent before properly identifying him, do you not agree?" The sound of his voice was vaguely

familiar to Vivian, as though she had heard it fairly recently. As she was about to rebuttal, she felt the pressure holding her head in place suddenly dissipate, the cold feel of the metal against her neck receding

as well. Deciding to take advantage of the opportunity, Vivian lifted her head, preparing to snap her fangs closed around the man's neck. Her mood quickly changed when her eyes fell upon the face of her

captor, for there, staring back at her with his clear blue eyes was the young man she had met the other day, Leon.

Upon realizing who was holding her down, Vivian quickly relaxed, though she attempted to keep her external appearance as threatening as it had previously been. It had obviously failed, for Leon rose off of

her, allowing her freedom of movement to return. Vivian quickly flipped back onto her four paws and let out a low growl at her new acquaintance. She could now clearly see his entire body. He was dressed

in blue jeans and a blue button down shirt, which was decorated with dragons. The blade that had been pressed against her neck was none other than the Claymore sword that he had possessed when they

first met, which he was now sliding back into its back-mounted scabbard.

"What the hell was that for!? You could've killed me, you dumbass!" She snarled at him, trying to emphasize her anger. At this, Leon slightly tilted his head to the left, as a look of confusion came across his

face. "…you can't understand me, can you?" she barked out to him. She interpreted the placing of his hand, once again, on his sword as a fair answer. After a brief thought of tormenting him with growls

and snarls as punishment, she raised her head to the heavens and began the change back to her human form.

When her transformation was completed, she turned her head back towards her new acquaintance. What she saw greatly surprised her. Leon was standing with his back to her. He had removed his shirt

and was holding it out to her, all the while keeping his eyes averted from her body. It took her a moment to realize why he was acting so strange; she had completely forgotten that the transformation from

human to wolf, or vice-versa, left you completely naked. None the less, she still found his reaction to be somewhat peculiar. Before she could ask, however, Leon spoke out in a strong and commanding

voice, "Pardon my rudeness, but I must humbly request that you garb yourself with the attire that I have presented." Vivian didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted; it appeared that Leon had

managed to do both in a single comment. None the less, she decided to use it as grounds to ask about his "reaction" to her transformation. "Why are you against seeing me naked? You should understand

first hand that the change renders you with no clothing." she asked, countering his statement. "I suppose that you are correct in this matter; please forgive me. It's simply that, while I was young, I was raised

around people who embraced the belief that one should refrain from witnessing each other's ungarbed bodies as often as possible. It appears that I have yet to overcome this facet of my childhood." He

replied, still refusing to gaze upon her. His response suddenly made Vivian feel awful; she had completely forgotten the fact that Leon had not been raised in a pack like she had; of course many of their

customs were unfamiliar to him. Pack nudity was apparently one of them. Respecting his wishes, she grabbed the shirt from his outstretched hand. Once she had finished buttoning up the shirt, and informed

Leon that it was safe to look, the two of them decided to take a walk around the forest.

Both Leon and Vivian had determined that their little walk together was the perfect time to find out more about one another. In the end, though, it was Vivian that was forced to do most of the talking. When

questioned about most aspects of his life, Leon would attempt to alter the topic of the conversation. This did not go unnoticed by Vivian, but she decided against mentioning it. By the time it was dusk, Vivian

had shared almost every facet of her more-current life, from the fire that took her father from her, to falling in love with Aiden, to the duel that had made her the queen bitch, to moving to Vermont to begin a

new life with her pack.

Despite his attempts to avoid talking about himself, Leon had decided to inform Vivian of a few minor features of his life. He told her of how he was abandoned by his mother at the age of five, and how he

had been placed into an orphanage within the city. During his time there, he had somehow made enough money to support himself and escaped from the system. Currently, he was living in a two room

apartment and was employed at a jewelry store. Unfortunately, this was all he would admit to.

After the many hours of walking, the two of them decided to take refuge on a large outcropping near the top a hill in order to look at the stars. There was a half moon out, lighting the sky with its prominent

glow. It was in this glow of the moon, that Vivian's attention was drawn to the large sword on Leon's back. "_Well,_" she thought, "_now is as good a time as ever_." "Leon, why do you carry that sword

around with you all the time?" She asked inquisitively. The question seemed to have surprised him quite a bit, for his head shot to the right, toward her, and he merely stared at her for a moment before

looking up to the stars. Vivian was expecting him to merely ignore her question, or bring up another topic to discuss. Thus, she was flabbergasted at his response.

"We hide who we truly are from the rest of the world, from humanity. We hide because humanity is afraid of us. But why is this? Is it because they see us as a threat? Perhaps a menace? Maybe a parasite?

No, they fear us simply because they are unable to understand us. Humanity has always been afraid of what it cannot understand, and so we must hide amongst its shadows. But this does not cease the

problems we face. No matter the quality of our acting, or the quantity of our performances, we will never be like them; there will always be a difference between them and us, something that they can't

understand. Because of this, _Homo Sapiens_ will always discriminate against us, though many times even they will not understand why. As history has shown time and time again, it is only a matter of time

before that lack of comprehension turns to fear, and fear to hatred. When that happens, what will you do? Change and fight? No, that will only ignite more fear and hatred, and thus continue the cycle." At

the mention of this, he turned to face Vivian, their eyes meeting in a long moment of silence, "A sword is a weapon of their world, not ours, and by using it instead of changing, and fighting under their

regulations in comparison to ours, I create no more conflict than is absolutely necessary."

Vivian was speechless; she completely understood what he had meant. Memories flashed through her mind of what little acceptance she had received when interacting with humans. The only human friends

she had ever had were those of Aiden's group, the amoeba, and she would never forget how that had ended.

Vivian glanced over at her new acquaintance, who had turned his attention back to the stars. There was a strange atmosphere around him now, she could smell it. Vivian was certain that it had to do with the

explanation he had given, and could only assume that she had merely scratched the surface of a much deeper meaning behind his strange action. She was tempted to pry further into his reasoning, but

decided against it. It was clear that Leon wasn't someone that one could pry information from. He would tell her when the time was right; no sooner, no later.

It was close to midnight when the two rose to their feet and decided to leave their vantage point. "Care to walk me home, Leon?" Vivian asked, hoping that he would take the bait and be forced to meet the

other members of her pack. "Well, I…" he began, but was quickly cut off as he collapsed to his knees in pain and began clutching his chest. At first, Vivian thought he was faking, an elaborate plot to avoid

meeting the rest of her pack. It was only after he began to give off slight yelps of agony did she really believe that something was severely hurting him. Quickly, Vivian walked over to him and knelt down,

trying to determine the cause of his discomfort. "Leon, what's wrong?!" she asked nervously. "I'm fine," he replied quickly, though not at all convincingly. "Bullshit, you are most certainly not fine.

Something's seriously hurting you, and you need help.," Vivian placed her arm around his waist and lifted him to his feet, "you're coming to my place. My aunt Persia will be able to help you there." At the

mention of this, Leon pushed her away. "I don't require any of your assistance!" he yelled before taking off, stumbling, into the woods. Vivian let him go, though still confused as to why he was so against

meeting the rest of her family. "Be safe, Leon." She said, as she changed into her wolf form and sprinted off for home.

Leon sprinted through the forest as fast as he could. He knew exactly where he was going, but he had to get there in time. If he didn't, there was no telling what would happen. It only took about five minutes

for him to make it to his destination, the ledge of a cliff near the top of the mountain. "Damn it." he said as he stared up at the half moon above him, "I see, so we truly are destined to be alone. Those we

care about, friends, family, we must learn to live without, lest we destroy them." He smiled slightly just as another wave of pain came over him. He could hear his bones cracking and growing, and feel his

rationale and logic begin to slip away as instinct began to take over. As the experience neared completion, he let out one final yell, a yell that turned into a fierce roar as he completed his transformation into a

creature neither man nor wolf; a creature forsaken by the moon centuries ago.

* * *

Sorry for the late post everyone. I originally had this chapter completed a while ago and planned to post it on Wednesday. However, that was before I had had all of my free time sucked up, along with my soul, by the gargantuan demon of death that is my new job. Anyway, better late than never, I suppose. Chapter six is halfway done and, job permitting, should be up by either next weekend or sometime next week. 

As for the chapter itself, sorry that it's mostly filler. I have some really interesting ideas as to what is going to happen, but I first wanted to establish the somewhat-of-a-friendship between Vivian and Leon. Also, I wanted to add in the scene at the end, and I figured that this was the best chapter to put it in. And so we finally get a slight glimpse as to what Leon truly is, as well as where the name of the story comes from. If you like the story, hate it, whatever, all reviews are excepted... just PLEASE review!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone, and welcome back. Before we get into the story, I wanted to reply to a few of my reviewers.

Littlegirlwolf: I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my story. I'm loving yours as well.

Yo mamma: It's good to hear you like it. I do plan to continue with this story, at least until my inspiration gives out.

Lord Vader: If I told you what he was turning into, it would kill the entire premise of the story.

Onto the disclaimer: Annette Curtis Klause owns Blood and Chocolate and I own Leon.

With that said, enjoy...

**Blood and Chocolate: Forsaken**

**Chapter 6: Dinner**

The sun had just risen in the town of Sharon; the darkness of the night pushed back by the light of the sun. It was early, no later than 6:15am, and the majority of the town's inhabitants were still fast asleep.

However, this law did not apply at one particular inn, where a young woman was semi-frantically gathering her supplies for school while her husband watched, dreary-eyed, as she did so.

"Your first class doesn't begin until 8:30, right?" Gabriel asked, rubbing his eyes and checking the clock. "That's right," Vivian answered as she threw a few books into her bag and rushed into her closet to

retrieve a pair of shoes. "So, why are you leaving so early?" he asked her, causing her to freeze mid-stride. "Well…you see," she began, slightly nervous as to how Gabriel would respond to her answer,

"…Leon and I agreed to meet up before classes."

This information woke Gabriel up. "…I see" he replied after a moment of silence, rage and agitation clearly present in his voice. Gabriel had become increasingly suspicious of the character known as Leon

ever since Vivian had informed him of her friend's ungentlemanly retreat and refusal to accept medical attention from her pack two weeks ago. Since then, the mysterious man still met up with Vivian from

time to time, but apparently refused to discuss the events that had transpired that day. Leon's continual refusal to meet both Gabriel and the rest of the pack only fueled his imagination as to why.

Noticing the worry in his eyes, Vivian walked over and lay down beside him, slightly caressing his right arm. "Give him a chance, Gabriel," Vivian whispered into his ear before lightly kissing his shoulder. "I

would if I could ever actually meet with him," Gabriel replied, frustration at the topic of discussion still present in his voice. Vivian merely sighed as she gathered her supplies and began to walk out of the

door. Then, suddenly, she froze in place and spun around, a large smile stretched across her face. "Gabriel, that's it," she shouted as she tackled him, nearly causing him to fall out of bed. With that said,

Vivian began to discuss her devious new idea.

"So what is your plan if the surrounding areas continue to increase in population?" Leon asked as he and Vivian walked down the streets of Sharon. It was 4:20 in the afternoon; school had ended

approximately two hours ago and the duo had spent the majority of their free time strolling around the town. Vivian had hoped to find out more about her mysterious friend, such as why he mysteriously took

off that night two weeks ago, or whenever she mentioned the idea of him meeting her pack. Unfortunately, Leon was as unwilling as ever to disclose any personal information, covering his retreat from the

topic with deep, soul-searching questions in order to avoid answering her. Somehow, his most recent question had resulted in a discussion about the growing population of the town and the possible transfer

of her pack.

"We'd just need to be a little more careful, that's all," Vivian replied, glancing at her watch for the fifth time in ten minutes, "This town is still smaller than any of the others that our pack has stayed at. As long

as we use some discretion and restraint as to when and where we run, there shouldn't be any problems." "If this were a choice that only affected oneself, then I would agree," Leon said rather bluntly, his

voice still as monotonous as ever, "however, one can never fully account for the actions of others, and there is no guarantee that the members of your pack will be able to repress their instinctual urges. Due

to this, it would be a hazardous and unnecessary risk to remain in an area such as this, where the population of _Homo sapiens_ is growing as exponentially." "But wouldn't it be less of a risk to stay here than

it would be to move the entire pack to god-knows-where," Vivian asked rhetorically, trying desperately to defend her position on the topic. She had been so sure that Leon would have sided with her on the

issue; she had thought that their friendship would have helped to influence his decision towards her side of the argument, regardless of the minor flaws it presented. Apparently, though, logic seemed to have

been too well-engrained into his mind.

"If I may ask, why is it that you are so hesitant to leave this place; you don't appear to be the kind of person that would knowingly place those you care about into the path of danger," Leon finally asked as

they turned south and began to walk down Main Street. The question startled Vivian a little, and for a moment she was at a loss for words as to a response. "Well, this is the perfect place for us. Just look

around, there are hills, mountains, forests, it's like we're back to the way things used to be, the way things were before my father…" Vivian paused for a moment before continuing on, "I guess I'm just

worried that if we leave now, we'll never get this back again." Vivian waited for Leon to respond, shifting her gaze toward him when none came. His face was somewhat solemn, and his eyes appeared as

though he were gazing at something far away, something he couldn't quite see; he was reflecting on what she had said. After about five minutes of silence, Vivian finally spoke again. "Leon," Vivian said

somewhat sternly as she stared into his eyes, gathering her courage to say what was on her mind, "if we do decide to move, I would like for you would come with us." Vivian braced herself, waiting for him

to panic as he had whenever she mentioned meeting her family; she waited for him to stutter as he gave some excuse or another as to why he could not so such a thing. Thus, she was stunned by his

response. "I am terribly sorry, Queen Vivian," Leon answered, his voice calm yet noble, as it had been when they first met, "but that is a request that I can not fulfill. For the time being, I must remain here."

"Why," she asked, genuinely curious now that he actually seemed to be opening up to her. She leaned in closer to him so as not to miss his reply. Leon averted his head and stared up at the sky, a slight

smile crossing his face, "I'm waiting for someone."

Vivian was about to inquire further when she caught a quick glance at her watch. "Oh shit," she whispered under her breath as she glared at the hands of her watch, which indicated to her that it was now

4:42pm. "I'm sorry, I was unable to hear you," Leon remarked; apparently, he had been unable to discern what she had said. "It's nothing," Vivian remarked, "I'm just a little thirsty. Would you like to stop

off for a drink? I know of a place that's around here." The subtle, yet all too familiar look of apprehension washed over Leon's face, as he considered her proposal. "_Come on, take the bait!!!_" Vivian

thought as she waited for his reply. If she could get him to say yes, then she could put her plan into motion. "Come on, it'll be fun." "…very well, I shall accompany you," Leon finally replied, uneasiness still

visible on his face. Vivian knew she was smiling wildly, but she didn't care. She had played her part perfectly, and now it was up to Gabriel to play his.

Vivian smiled to herself as she watched her perfect plan unfold. Just as the duo had approached the doors of their destination, a small downtown teenage hangout by the name of Moco Grande, a sound

from around the street corner managed to catch their attention. Both Vivian and Leon turned around just in time to see a large man pull up to the curb on a Harley Davidson Cruiser. The man wore a black

leather jacket over a sleeveless muscle shirt, which seemed to be tearing under his enormous muscular physique. The blue denim jeans he wore seemed to strain as he stretched his legs to the ground and

rose off of his vehicle. As he did so, he removed his helmet, revealing his dark brown hair and hard blue eyes. Scars were present on his face, neck, and chest, from what could be seen under the white shirt.

Feature wise, he was relatively young, no older than twenty-five or twenty-six, but the confidence and raw strength the man exhibited made him appear well beyond his years. The man placed his helmet

upon his bike and swung his leg over. He then proceeded to walk towards the entrance to the café, stopping in front of the two teens.

"How was your day, Vivian," the tall, muscular man asked, his voice deep and throaty, which caused Vivian to jump into his arms. The two kissed affectionately before she responded, "not too bad, how

about you Gabriel?" "Nothing I couldn't handle, baby," he replied before turning his gaze to Leon, his face still hard and rigid, "aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" It was clear from the

expression on Leon's face that he was thoroughly confused; Vivian decided to clarify the situation. "Gabriel, this is Leon Rotheford, my friend that I have been telling you about," upon completing this

statement, she turned her head to face Leon, "and Leon, this is Gabriel, the alpha male and leader of my pack." Gabriel began to extend his right hand out in an attempt to shake hands with his new

acquaintance. However, Leon reacted long before Gabriel could. Dropping to one knee, placing his right arm behind his back and his left on in front of him, Leon went into a majestic bow, as a knight would

in the presence of royalty, "It is an honor to meet you, my lord."

Had Leon not lowered his head, he would have seen just how baffled Gabriel was in terms of his greeting. Gabriel glanced nervously around, checking to see how many people were staring at this peculiar

event. "Relax Gabriel, he's just bowing bowed to you, it's not like he changed front of the military or something," Vivian whispered into his ear in an attempt to calm him down. "I suppose you're right,"

Gabriel whispered back, which was difficult for his deep voice, "but why is he bowing to me? Not even the members of our pack do that." Vivian hesitated for a moment, questioning whether or not to tell

him what she knew about Leon's life; she did not want to betray Leon's trust, she was probably his only acquaintance and had confided information that he had probably never told to anyone. However, on

the other hand, Gabriel was her mate and the alpha male of her pack; he needed to know about the other Loup-garou that were in their midst. After a moment of consideration, she finally gave in. "Leon was

never part of a pack," Vivian replied, "He grew up all alone, so it's not surprising that his mannerisms are a little…different than ours." Upon hearing this Gabriel shifted his head back to Leon, who had yet

to move since assuming the position he had.

"Please rise Leon," Gabriel said, more of an order than a request, "and just call me Gabriel." Leon appeared slightly perplexed, as if confused as to why Gabriel didn't wish to be addressed as lord;

technically, that was what he was, or not far from it. None the less, Leon complied, "…as you wish my lo…Gabriel." Gabriel smiled slightly upon hearing this and began to examine the young man. He

seemed kind and honorable, even if his actions in addressing people were a little odd, but there was something about him that Gabriel didn't like, something that made his fur stand on end, and he was

determined to find out what it was.

"I have an idea," Vivian chimed in suddenly, "why don't we bring Leon back to the Inn. We can have dinner and Leon can meet the rest of the 'family'" Gabriel smiled at this, "that's a wonderful idea babe."

Vivian turned her gaze back to Leon. His facial expression hadn't changed, but she knew he was panicking on the inside. "As kind of an offer as that is…" Leon began before Gabriel cut him off, his face

becoming hard and somewhat terrifying. "I won't take no for an answer," Gabriel interjected, and Vivian saw an emotion plastered across Leon's face that she had never seen before, one that she had been

unsure if he even possessed, fear. It was only present for a moment, before his face returned to normal as he replied, "very well then; let us proceed."

It took approximately half an hour to reach the Gandillon Inn from the town of Sharon, thus placing there arrival time at around 6:30pm. The trio had ridden on the back of Gabriel's motorcycle, which had

been quite an experience since the bike was only supposed to fit two at best. Upon their arrival, Vivian decided to give Leon a tour of the facility while Gabriel informed their cook that there would be an

extra mouth to feed.

Overall the inn was enormous, with three stories and over a hundred rooms. It had been constructed in the early 1900's and, while it had been refurbished with more updated technology like plunbing and air

conditioning, it still retained the majority of its original design. Compared to a hotel in the city, the place was nothing, but in a small town like Sharon, where only a few people a year stop by normally, it was

a mountain getaway. On top of everything, the back of the Inn was right next to a forest, providing instant access to endless space where they could run, hunt and be who they truly were.

"Come and get it," a strong female voice called from the entrance of the inn, followed by six boys and three girls charging across the property. "What may I ask just happened," Leon inquired, causing

Vivian to laugh. "That was my crazy mother telling everyone that dinner is ready. Shall we go?" With that said, the two walked across the lawn and into the building.

The inside of the Inn was designed to look like a log cabin. The sides appeared to have been constructed from wood, as was the staircase, the railings and pretty much everything else. There were a few

animal heads present on the walls, one moose, two bears, and a twelve point buck. "They're not real," Vivian mentioned to Leon when she noticed the pained look in his eyes, "we purchased them from a

store when we first moved here. Gabriel felt that they would make the place more attractive for people stopping by. Overall, it actually worked." "Hey, are you two going to join us or not," a voice called

from behind them. The two turned around, coming face to face with the woman who had informed everyone that dinner was ready. Her eyes widened in fear at the sight of Leon, "oh...and who is your

new…friend, Vivian?" "Mom, this is Leon Rotheford, and yes, he is Loup-garou," Vivian stated, putting emphasis on the last part, "Leon, this is my mother, Esme Gandillon." "It is a pleasure to meet you,

milady," Leon said, bowing as he did so, and causing Esme to laugh uncontrollably. "It's…. nice to…meet…you too," Esme managed to reply through her fit of chuckles, unlike Gabriel, it was clear she

wouldn't control herself for anyone.

Esme led the two into, what appeared to be, the banquet room, where at a single large round table sat Gabriel, along with eleven other people, all of which were clearly Loup-garou. Upon seeing the two

enter, Gabriel rose to his feet and Vivian walked over to stand next to him. It was at his point that everyone's attention was placed on Leon, except for Vivian and Gabriel, who were still facing the other

guests. "Everyone," Vivian declared in a tone that seemed too old and mature for her young age, "this is Leon Rotheford. He is Loup-garou, like us, and a good friend of mine, so I expect everyone to make

him feel welcome." With that said Vivian turned to Leon and mentioned to the group, "Leon, these are the members of my pack."

Vivian pointed to the person standing closest to them on their left, a fairly muscular man with brown hair and dark brown eyes in his early forties, approximately, "This is Bucky, Gabriel's second in

command." From there, Vivian continued around the table in a counter-clockwise motion. "That's Lucien and Aunt Persia next to him" Vivian indicated to the man and woman sitting next to Bucky. The first

was a slightly pale, thin form in his early thirties, with jet-black hair and eyes to match. The other was a woman in her late fifties, yet somehow had still retained her golden blonde hair and glowing skin. Her

eyes were sky blue.

Vivian then turned her attention to the center of the table, where four teenage boys sat, all of whom were intently focused on Leon. Leon merely stared back at the group; introductions were hardly

necessary due to the fact they had met all met before. None the less, Vivian gave one anyway, "I'm sure that you remember the Four; the one on the left is Finn, then his twin, Gregory, that one's Willem,

and that's Ulf on the right." Vivian aggressively pointed to each of the Four as she mentioned them to Leon, a subtle sign for them to behave.

Seated to the right of the Four was Vivian's mother, Esme, along with a young man, somewhere in his late twenties, with light blonde hair and blue eyes. "You've already met my mom, Esme," Vivian

pointed out before motioning to the man next to her, "and this is Thomas, my mother's…" "Good friend," Esme interjected, causing both Vivian and Thomas to chuckle. THe comment had gone almost

entirely over Leon's head; Vivian decided she would explain it later.

Once she was able to recompose herself, Vivian addressed the remaining two members seated at the table. One was a young, tough-looking gentleman; one would put him no older than thirty, with light

brown hair, and green eyes. The other was a woman in her mid thirties, with black hair and brown eyes. "and finally," Vivian stated quickly, hunger beginning to take over as she picked up the scent of meat

"this is Gabriel's third in command, Orlando Griffin, and Gregory's mother, Renata."

It was at this point that Vivian's stomach, along of everyone else's, began to rumble with pangs of hunger. "Well then," Gabriel began, trying to maintain his composure, "let's eat." Upon saying this,

everyone took their respective seats, with Vivian sitting next to Gabriel and Leon between her and Orlando. The covers of the three large plates sitting in the center of the table were quickly removed,

revealing the savory delights that lay beneath. Several steaks adorned the plates beneath the coverings, each one only slightly cooked and still relatively rare. Immediately, every member of the pack dove for

a piece and began savagely devouring it, as though they had not eaten in weeks. The members of the four, along with Lucien and Orlando, quickly relinquished their forks and knives for the more "natural"

tools of claws and teeth. The others were not far behind them, tearing into the savory flesh as though it were a fresh kill. Leon was the only one who seemed to control himself, eating in a more proper

fashion, stopping after every few bites to glance around the table. Vivian was the only one to notice. "What's wrong Leon," she inquired as she began to tear away at another piece of her steak. "I

apologize," he replied, turning his gaze toward her, "I was just under the impression that your pack was much larger than what I see before me." Vivian smiled at this, using her napkin to wipe her mouth of

excess blood, "oh, these are only a few members of our pack; the majority weren't able to make it tonight." Leon was about to inquire as to why, but was quickly interrupted by Orlando. The rest of the

evening was rather enjoyable for everyone; Leon spent the majority of his time answering questions that the rest of the pack had for him. As always, the majority of his answers concerning his life were

relatively vague, but they seemed to satisfy the majority of the crowd. Surprisingly, Leon actually seemed to be having a good time. The four seemed to keep their distance from him, clearly still sore of the

severe trouncing he had given them. Gabriel didn't converse with Leon as much, preferring to allow others to ask the questions for him; he kept close watch, waiting for Leon to take some action that would

explain the strange nervousness that arose while he was around him. However, so far, there had been nothing.

"That was a most enjoyable meal; my thanks to you Lord Gabriel," Leon said once everyone had finished their dinner. Despite the strange feeling in his gut, Gabriel couldn't deny that he was a kind and

good natured being. He smiled, "you should thank Orlando, he was the one who cooked them." "Very well then," Leon replied, turning towards Orlando Griffin, performing a slight bow as he did so, "you

have my thanks." "It was nothing," Orlando stated, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "I'm just glad that we finally got to meet you. Vivian has spoken highly of you, you know." "Well now,"

Gabriel' voice boomed, halting any and all conversations that were occurring at the moment, "now that we've all eaten, I suggest we all go for a run." At the mention of this everyone in the room cheered,

that is, everyone except one person. "I would very much like to accompany you," Leon began, "But I'm afraid that I hadn't planned on running tonight." At the mention of this everyone turned to face him,

their faces clearly displaying confusion and amazement. "But tonight is the full moon, Leon," Gabriel countered, his suspicion of the young man once again growing, "We must run on the night of the full

moon; we have no choice in the matter. It happens to even the youngest of pups, so surely you must experience it too." Despite everyone's close gaze on him, Gabriel and Vivian were the only ones to

notice the brief flash of fear in his eyes. However, this was quickly forgotten as a powerful aroma overcame every member of the pack, the scent of sulfur and charcoal. Vivian, however, was the only one

aware of its source; the scent was so strong and seemed to emanate from everywhere, so no one else could pinpoint it. Vivian looked at her friend; he normally seemed to have a decent grasp on controlling

the production of his scent. She could only assume that that it was his fear that had caused his control of it to slip. Fortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds, before dying off, returning all focus to the

young man.

"Well yes…of course I experience the change," Leon began, trying to clarify his previous statement, "What I meant was that I hadn't planned to run in this area. When I was young, I had a special area

where I would change and run, and ever since, that is where I go when the moon is full." He let out a very subtle sigh as he finished, smiling to himself as he saw the satisfied looks on the other's faces.

However, there was no such look on Gabriel, "Very well then, why don't you take us there; we will all run…" "NO," Leon shouted, interrupting Gabriel's request. It took him a few moments to realize what

he had just done, and he quickly reacted to make up for it. "Forgive me for my outburst, Lord Gabriel," he began, choosing his words carefully, "but that place is sacred to me. I can't just allow anyone to

know its location. I promise you, one day I will reveal it to you, but seeing as we have just been introduced to one another, I feel that we should become more acquainted with one another before I do so."

Leon gave a moment's pause to allow the information to be computed by everyone present. Once it was apparent that everyone had understood what he had mentioned, he spoke again, "I thank you, Lord

Gabriel, for inviting me into your humble abode, but I believe it would be best for everyone if I took my leave. As you yourself stated, the moon will be full tonight, and I would prefer to reach my sanctuary

before the change is forced upon me." Silence befell everyone following his statement. Seconds felt like hours as the tension around them grew. Finally, Gabriel let out a sigh, his face as hard as stone, before

speaking, "very well, Leon, I wish you a safe journey and a blessed run under the moonlight." Leon said nothing as he took his leave. As her pack watched him leave, Vivian found herself torn between her

mate and her friend; unable to decide where her loyalty lied. As such, she could do nothing more than watch as Leon sprinted down the road towards town.

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Sorry for the week late update; this chapter was hell to write. I wanted to skip this chapter and go right into chapter 7, but I needed a few things to happen first, mainly Gabriel meeting Leon. As such, I had to stage a meeting between the two and this is what I came up with. I know Vivian't strategy was a little underhanded, but after her attempt to make Aiden jealous at the concert by kissing Gabriel in the BC book, I wouldn't put this past her. 

Also, sorry that most of this is filler. Like I said, I needed a few things to happen first before the action can really begin. I was tempted to break this chapter into two, but I didn't want to pull a Bleach and give you multiple chapters where nothing happens. At least a few things have been revealed, such as why Leon's in that town in the first place. Fortunately, now everything is in place and the story can finally move on. That being said, there will be NO more fillers for a while, so PLEASE don't give up on this story.

Seeing how I can never seem to stick to my deadlines, I won't set a date for the the next chapter to come out. All I will say is that I know exactly what is going to occur and it should be out sometime soon. If you like this story, hate it, are undecided, or anything, reviews are welcome!!!

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